Total solar eclipse
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Eyes across southwest Ohio were transfixed to the skies on April 8 as the moon blotted the Sun out of the sky in a rare total solar eclipse.
It was not a one-day affair. The 124-mile-wide band of the eclipse going across our region meant people visited from other parts of the country. There were festivals, educational events, and numerous other celebrations.
It had an economic impact. Local businesses created eclipse-themed merchandise. Five area breweries released eclipse-themed beers.
If you missed it, the next total solar eclipse in Ohio is projected to occur in 2099.
Election 2024
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
The 2024 election was consequential in lots of ways.
On the national level it sent Middletown native U.S. Sen. JD Vance to Washington D.C. as our nation’s vice president. President-elect Donald Trump carried Ohio by a historic margin.
The November election also unseated longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown and replaced him with Republican Senator-elect Bernie Moreno.
On the state level, it spurred debate over legislative redistricting, with most everyone agreeing that gerrymandering is bad but Ohio voters rejecting a proposal to change the current system.
It also sent state Rep. Willis Blackshear Jr. to the state Senate as the Dayton-area’s first Democrat state senator in more than a decade. Democrats gained a few seats in Ohio’s General Assembly statewide, but remain a super-minority and lost ground in the Ohio Supreme Court.
On the local level, Republicans picked up a seat on the three-person Montgomery County Commission, replacing longtime Commissioner Debbie Lieberman with former Trotwood mayor Mary McDonald. And the GOP unseated the Democratic county recorder.
Local voters also approved tax levies to support Dayton Metro Library and Five Rivers MetroParks.
Haitians in Springfield
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
The November election also drew national and international attention to the region over the issue of Haitian immigrants in Springfield.
The media circus started when a false rumor about Springfield Haitian immigrants eating people’s pets was parroted by Trump in a nationally televised debate. Bomb threats followed, as well as tons of memes.
The strain of the population influx in Springfield — an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 immigrants relocating to the city in recent years — was well known locally. But the extra attention spurred state action including state-funded health clinics and driver education.
Trump has vowed to end programs that allow many of the Haitians to remain in Springfield legally, and to begin mass deportations there when he takes office. This has led to many immigrants leaving the city.
Mental Health Matters: Kids in Crisis
Credit: Jim Noelker
Credit: Jim Noelker
The Dayton Daily News in 2024 dedicated a team of reporters to investigating one of the most pressing issues facing our region: Mental health challenges facing our youth.
Our monthslong special reporting project included a free resource guide, community event at Wright State University, and multiple reports combining data, local experts and the voices of area youth to better understand the issue.
Our reporting focused on solutions. Read the whole project at https://www.daytondailynews.com/mental-health-matters/.
Seed of Life
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Five years ago, tragedy struck our region when a gunman opened fire in Dayton’s Oregon District.
In 2024, residents across our region came together to not only honor the lives lost but build a literal monument to community. The Seed of Life memorial was unveiled in the Oregon District, created by local artists in collaboration with victims’ families and the Dayton community.
The scars from the shooting persist for many. But healing continues.
Memorial Day tornadoes anniversary
Credit: Jim Noelker
Credit: Jim Noelker
This year also marked five years since the Memorial Day tornadoes ripped through our region.
Our reporting looked at the recovery process, including setbacks caused by the COVID pandemic.
We looked at hard-hit neighborhoods and found far fewer blue tarps than previous years, but lots of empty lots.
We also talked to survivors, who shared their experience of trauma and healing.
Quitclaim deed fraud
A surge in quitclaim deed fraud was another major issue in 2024.
The phenomenon allows thieves to steal someone’s property out from under them by filing fraudulent paperwork with the county. Our reporting found that the problem became pervasive — nearly 100 complaints in the first four months of the year alone — but prosecutions are rare.
We chronicled the story of a local woman’s fight in court to get her home back. The court sided with her, but the fight continues due to pending appeals.
We also wrote about efforts to combat the problem, including a county program meant to help homeowners detect fraud. We wrote about suspected fraudsters arrested in October and as recently as this month.
Recreational marijuana
Ohioans 21 and over became legally able to buy recreational marijuana in August.
The launch of the state’s recreational cannabis market had its highs and lows. Some consumers expressed excitement, though initial sales lagged predictions.
Area growers and dispensaries are hoping changes like decreasing prices and possibly increased legal options will pick things up.
State lawmakers meanwhile tried and failed to regulate other hemp-derived products such as delta-8 and THCA — following a raid of a smoke shop in Trotwood that business owners say is in line with the law.
UD’s NCAA tournament run
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
The University of Dayton basketball team gave fans excitement in the NCAA tournament — although the Flyers might have preferred more comfort instead.
After making the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017, UD won its first-round game against Nevada by erasing a 17-point deficit with eight minutes to play. The 63-60 win in Salt Lake City was the Flyers' first in the NCAA tournament since 2015.
As a No. 7 seed in the tournament, UD lost in the second round to second-seeded Arizona, 78-68.
That run ended a Dayton season that saw the Flyers finish 25-8. A few months later, UD star DaRon Holmes II was picked No. 22 overall in the NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets, but he tore his right Achilles tendon in his NBA Summer League debut.
Gas station battles
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
How Dayton-area residents gas up their car — and grab snacks or a quick bite to eat — changed dramatically in 2024 with a surge of new gas stations opening in the area.
We call them gas stations, but they are really more than that. The “gas station wars” are being fought not only on the front of inexpensive gas, but trademark snacks and hot to-go items.
The king of the hill is Buc-ee’s, which is opening its first Ohio travel center in Huber Heights. People are expected to come from far and wide to visit the iconic business when it opens in 2025, though construction was delayed by a lawsuit between the city and Clark County over water service.
The city of Kettering, though, is a noncombatant in the gas station wars. Kettering in August placed a 16-month ban on certain new businesses that include convenience stores and gas stations, a move the mayor said is rooted in a rejected Sheetz plan last year.
Agencies serving vulnerable residents struggling
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Several agencies that help vulnerable members of our community faced challenges in 2024 that will continue into 2025.
Montgomery County is expected to go to voters in 2025 to renew the Human Services Levy, the largest single tax levy in the county that funds numerous social safety net agencies.
Montgomery County Developmental Disabilities gets $28.9 million from the levy, but has for years faced funding challenges that required multiple bailouts from the county. The agency director announced possible service cuts and layoffs this year, then resigned with a $400,000 severance payment. The agency may seek a standalone levy to balance its books.
Montgomery County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services has taken $16.5 million in voluntary cuts to its Human Services Levy base award over the past several years, but the agency is now asking for a $4.1 million increase in levy funds.
Local nonprofits are struggling as well. The YWCA is facing “significant” financial challenges that are threatening its services and forcing it to suspend fundraising and awareness events.
St. Vincent de Paul Society of Dayton announced in November they are shutting down their men’s shelter, one of the largest in the state.
Many other nonprofits are also expressing concerns about their funding going into 2025.
Anti-hooning bill becomes law
As we entered 2024, a major issue in the Dayton area was a surge of reckless driving street takeovers known as “hooning.”
Following news reports, local state Reps. Andrea White, R-Kettering, and Phil Plummer, R-Butler Twp., proposed legislation to toughen penalties for hooning.
Their legislation passed the Ohio General Assembly in June and was signed by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine in July.
“There had to be something that’s a little bit more stringent that put some more teeth into the law,” said Dayton Mayor Jeffrey Mims Jr., who noted that the new offenses are an upgrade on current charges available to prosecutors, like reckless driving.
“It really helps our police in terms of addressing these concerns,” said Mims.
Youth violence
Youth violence was a major issue in 2024.
In September, hundreds of youth and adults marched through West Dayton calling for an end to a wave of violence after a year when juvenile homicides quadrupled and there was a 56% increase in felonious assaults with juvenile victims.
“We are not going to tolerate our children being in a state of trauma and fear,” said the Rev. Vanessa Ward. “They should not even have that language in their vocabulary.”
In October, more than 100 people attended a community forum on how to reduce student fights and disturbances that shut down library branches. Our reporting that month found a huge increase in Dayton police calls to the downtown library’s main branch.
Fights have also been a problem near the Greater Dayton RTA hub downtown.
Montgomery County has also had problems with a surge of group homes in the area. A Dayton Daily News investigation found that Montgomery County is now how to more than one-third of all group homes in the state, which accounted for 3,000 calls for service received by Dayton police in 2023.
State lawmakers this month passed legislation to increase oversight of group homes in response to the problem.
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